Cattle rancher Cliven Bundy of Bunkerville, Nev., has been in a dispute for years with the federal government about grazing rights.

Written by

Kathleen Parker
The Washington Post

The Cliven Bundy spectacle in Nevada has provided a Wild West backdrop for our hottest political issues as we gallop toward the midterm elections.

Politically, the conflict between the Bureau of Land Management and the Bundy family has highlighted the importance of picking one's battles wisely. Suffice to say, some pundits and politicians drank from the wrong chalice.

One day, Bundy was the new face for conservative opposition to federal expansionism, 2014's Joe the Plumber, a human metaphor for the last man armed and standing for freedom against the superior forces of federal agents. ...